Where the Wild Things Are (film)
Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze. Written by Jonze and Dave Eggers, it is adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book of the same name. It combines live-action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The film stars Max Records and features the voices of James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara, and Chris Cooper. The film centers on a lonely boy named Max who sails away to an island inhabited by creatures known as the "Wild Things," who declare Max their king. In the early 1980s, Disney considered adapting the film as a blend of traditionally animated characters and computer-generated environments, but development did not go past a test film to see how the animation hybridizing would result. In 2001, Universal Studios acquired rights to the book's adaptation and initially attempted to develop a computer-animated adaptation with Disney animator Eric Goldberg, but the CGI concept was replaced with a live-action one in 2003, and Goldberg was dropped for Spike Jonze. The film was co-produced by actor Tom Hanks through his production company Playtone and made with an estimated budget of $100 million. Where the Wild Things Are was a joint production between Australia, Germany, and the United States, and was filmed principally in Melbourne. The film was released on 16 October 2009, in the United States, on 3 December in Australia, and on 17 December in Germany. The film was met with mostly positive reviews and appeared on many year-end top ten lists. However the film flopped commercially at the box office, making $100.1 million from a budget of $100 million. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 2 March 2010. Cast * Max Records as Max, a lonely pre-teen with a wild imagination. * Catherine Keener as Connie, Max's mother. * Mark Ruffalo as Adrian, Connie's boyfriend. * Pepita Emmerichs as Claire, Max's sister. * Steve Mouzakis as Max's teacher. * Max Pfeifer, Madeleine Greaves, Joshua Jay, and Ryan Corr as Claire's friends. 'Voices' * James Gandolfini as Carol, an impulsive Wild Thing. * Lauren Ambrose as K.W., the loner of the group. * Chris Cooper as Douglas, a cockatoo-like peace-keeper who is Carol's best friend. * Forest Whitaker as Ira, a gentle, soft-spoken Wild Thing. * Catherine O'Hara as Judith, a Triceratops-like horned Wild Thing, who is Ira's loud, aggressive girlfriend. * Paul Dano as Alexander, a goat-like Wild Thing who is constantly ignored, belittled and mistreated. * Michael Berry Jr. as The Bull, a quiet, intimidating bull-headed Wild Thing who keeps to himself and rarely speaks. * Spike Jonze as Bob and Terry, two owls, and K.W's friends. 'Suit performers' * Vincent Crowley as Carol * Alice Parkinson as K.W. * John Leary as Douglas * Sam Longley as Ira * Nick Farnell as Judith * Sonny Gerasimowicz as Alexander * Angus Sampson as The Bull References External links * Where the Wild Things Are on IMDb Category:2009 films Category:2000s adventure films Category:2000s drama films Category:2000s fantasy films Category:Adaptations of works by Maurice Sendak Category:American adventure drama films Category:American children's adventure films Category:American children's drama films Category:American children's fantasy films Category:American fantasy adventure films Category:American films Category:Australian children's films Category:Australian drama films Category:Australian fantasy films Category:Australian films Category:English-language films Category:Fantasy drama films Category:Films based on children's books Category:Films directed by Spike Jonze Category:Films featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:Films produced by Gary Goetzman Category:Films produced by Thomas Tull Category:Films produced by Tom Hanks Category:Films scored by Carter Burwell Category:Films shot in Melbourne Category:German adventure films Category:German children's films Category:German drama films Category:German fantasy films Category:German films Category:IMAX films Category:Legendary Pictures films Category:Playtone films Category:Screenplays by Dave Eggers Category:Screenplays by Spike Jonze Category:Village Roadshow Pictures films Category:2000s children's films